Quakes announce radio partners for 2012

SAN JOSE, Calif. - The San Jose Earthquakes announced today their English and Spanish language radio broadcast partners for the 2012 season. KZSF 1370 AM “La Kaliente” will cover all 34 Quakes games in Spanish for the second straight season. On the English side, KLIV returns as the broadcast partner for the first time since 2005. KLIV carried the Quakes matches in both 2004 and 2005 in English. Combined with television, the Quakes will now have all games on television, English radio and Spanish radio for the first time in team history.

“Our goal was to air all of our games in both English and Spanish this year and we are proud to have accomplished that,” said Earthquakes President David Kaval. “We also felt it was important to partner with stations that are locally focused. KLIV has been a leader in the Silicon Valley for a long time and we are excited to establish a strong relationship with them. KZSF has long been a leader in broadcasting local sports in Spanish and we are glad to offer all of our games in Spanish language.”

Anthony Passarelli will serve as the primary radio play-by-play commentator for the Earthquakes in 2012. Passarelli works for KCBS radio in San Francisco as a sports anchor/reporter in addition to calling games for Santa Clara University men’s basketball and men’s soccer. He has also provided color commentary and radio play-by-play for San Jose State men’s basketball. He began his broadcasting career as a news/sports reporter at KPAY in Chico, Calif. From there, he was the radio play-by-play announcer for the independent Western Baseball League’s Salinas Peppers before becoming the sports director for KFBK radio in Sacramento. Passarelli is a Bay Area native, having grown up in San Jose and attended Bellarmine College Prep. A three-time NorCal AFTRA award-winning sports anchor and reporter, he resides in San Jose.

KLIV is a locally-owned station that serves the community and focuses on the news, events and people of Silicon Valley. An affiliate of CNN Radio, KLIV is Silicon Valley’s only all-news radio station. Besides local news coverage, 1590 KLIV is known for its frequent traffic reports covering Silicon Valley roads and freeways. During the 2012 season, Earthquakes games will be broadcast on KLIV.

“We are proud to have the San Jose Earthquakes back on KLIV in 2012,” said Mike Anthony, KLIV General Manager. “We have a very strong Silicon Valley focus and the Earthquakes are an important part of the local sports scene. The Quakes were a great partner in the past and we are excited to be working with them again.”

The Earthquakes return to KZSF for the third straight season and will air all games on the station for the second consecutive year. The Quakes aired home games only in Spanish on “La Kaliente” during the 2004, 2005 and 2010 seasons. KZSF is a locally owned Spanish language station that hosts daily sports talk shows and also plays a wide variety of popular music.

“Every year we continue to strengthen our partnership with the Earthquakes,” KZSF Owner and General Manager Carlos Duharte said. “We are proud to have all of their games on the air on La Kaliente 1370 AM once again and we look forward to working closely with the organization to support the local Hispanic community.”

Carlos Cesar Rivera returns for his fifth consecutive season as the voice of the Quakes and his eighth overall. A native of El Salvador, Rivera hosts a popular sports talk show from 5–7 p.m. PT Monday through Friday on 1370 AM that covers MLS, Mexican League soccer, as well as many other sports. Rivera, who has worked in radio in the Bay Area for over 30 years, has also called games for the San Francisco 49ers, Oakland Raiders, Oakland Athletics, San Francisco Giants and the San Francisco Bay Blackhawks in his career.